The military said more than 25 Islamic State-aligned fighters were killed in an attack on a position in Borno. Reuters also reported resident accounts that bandits killed at least 100 gold miners in Zamfara.
Nigerian troops killed more than 25 Islamic State-aligned militants while fighting off an assault on a military position in northeastern Borno State, military sources and a member of the civilian defence force told Reuters on Wednesday. The army did not give its own casualty count.
Captain Mohammed Goni, acting military information officer for Operation Hadin Kai, said a preliminary assessment indicated that more than 25 fighters were neutralised, with 14 bodies recovered so far. Troops seized six AK-47 rifles and ammunition in follow-up operations, he said in a statement carried by Reuters. The assault targeted the 101 Special Forces Battalion near Lake Chad from four directions, the agency reported.
Military sources said some soldiers were killed but gave no number. A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force said more than three of its members were killed. The military said joint operations would continue to stop militants regrouping.
In a separate incident covered in the same Reuters report, residents and a village head said bandits killed at least 100 gold miners at a pit in Zamfara. A military source said gunmen looted the Bindin military base after overrunning soldiers. Those Zamfara figures come from residents and a local official, not a completed official tally.
The two attacks are distinct. Reuters filed them together on Wednesday from Maiduguri.